George Greenough Mat Trim...Frame By Frame

Every frame has a story to tell !

Duck Diving with Johan!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Duck Diving -- and the difficulty therein --  is mat surfing's Achilles heel. Mats are so light and buoyant that getting under waves is a hassle. Usually, our stoke/determination ends up winning the day, so we accept it as the price of admission.

Johan runs less air than any mat surfer I know of, so he has an advantage when it comes to duck diving. Check out how flat his mat is! No way I could ride a mat this deflated...

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Photos by Simon "Swilly" Williams. Info here...

From Googlefog

Hi Paul,

I’m on my annual trip to South America.

My friend Roberto asked me to talk about mats to the kids at the municipal surf school.

You can see the mats just behind me .

The kids were pretty inquisitive and most took a turn on them.

John

From Nolan

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hi Paul,

Here's some shots Jimmy Wilson took of our trip to the Waco wave pool. It was about 3 weeks ago. We (Vans) rented it for a private event. Alex Knost, Dylan Graves, Tanner Gudauskas all came along. I brought my Fatty.

The wave is really fun, you take off on kind of a mush ball, set your line, and it just throws a barrel over you. Short waves, but super fun.

Dylan was so pumped, he bought a mat from you after the trip when we were on our way to the airport!

NH

From PG

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I went out at Shell Beach the other evening. It was small and inconsistent. But, no one was out at "my" peak, so I suited up and went out, hoping for a rogue 2 1/2 footer to sneak through.

After about a half hour, it finally happened. I turned to paddle for what I though was the wave of the session (frame #3.) only to miss it.  Then a bigger/better one popped up right behind it. Naturally, it broke in front of me, and I got skunked.

Then it went flat, and that was it for the evening...

From Chris

Paul!

Here’s a couple grabs of the boys in the Maldives.

Hope this finds you well! 

CG

From Jon Foster

From The Past

 Eastern Seaboard, 1960's

 West Side, 1950's

Sydney, 1969

From Rob

 @edwardreyesphotography

Hello 4GF Family,

The thing about mat surfing is it’s not about being flashy. Mat surfing is not, as Kirk Putnam has said about riding hulls, “a spectator sport”. We do it for the feel of the experience, and the love of the art, and the Ocean. It’s about letting go of everything and living in pure presence. Letting the wave lead and enjoying what we are given. It’s a dance of love not a sport of domination.

Super Stoked,

Rob

From KP

Hey Paul and Gloria,

How you doing ?

Found this in old Tracks George gave me years ago!

Kirk

Tail Punch Takeoffs, Part 2

I got a few waves last night down in the Shell Beach area, and the local beach cam captured this clip.

(Full disclosure...yes, I looked it up on Surfline when I got home.)

Anyway, there was a tail punch takeoff that I wanted to share, because it's a great way to slip into weak waves on a mat.

There are more details from an earlier post on the subject here...

From Rob

 

 

 

 

 

Fourth Gear Flyer Family,

From the past weekend. I think it was Saturday. Shot by Chris! Yeeeewwwww!

I have been on a rather long hiatus from posting here on Surfmatters. I hurt my back last March and soon after that my 15 year marriage fell apart. I’ve seen many challenges over the last year both physical and emotional but through it all Family, Prayer, Meditation, and Mat Surfing have been there for me. I’m still healing physically and emotionally, but I believe we are only given what we can handle and that this path is what’s best for my family. 

I have enjoyed connecting with so many of you and drawn strength from the Joy you share here. Let’s lift each other up when we are down. Let’s Love each other through challenges. Let’s use the presence we are blessed with through this Art we share to Change this World one heart and mind at a time. Love is Medicine, and the Love I have received here has been extremely helpful in my Journey to become a better human. Positive Vibes and Much Love from Florida! 

I see sunrises and set waves in our futures! 

Super Stoked,

Rob

Stoked,
Rob